birthday fun and mermaid party

My kids are obsessed with the "giant play place" as they call it. And thankfully it's rather close to our house so when Lady-LE requested it for her birthday celebrations we couldn't say no! 

 Lucky shot at the end of a slide run. I love this picture! 

 And Daddy even got to meet us there after a long day of work - hip hip hooray!! 

After watching me do L-man's party, Lady-LE has been requesting her own party for quite some time now! She is really such an easy-going girl when it comes to 'favorites' and honestly loves everything, so we settled on a mermaid/under-the-sea theme because it would lend itself easily to her preschool friends who were boys.

I made the invites and the food label/party printables all to match. Lady-LE loves purple!

So I think I need evaluate my method of madness for these kind of things. Planning the menu and all the cutesy names for the food that correlate with the theme, and making all the paper products and images through photoshop really all make me so happy. Like giddy sort of happy. (I've even done it for our neighbor friends' birthday parties too!)  And I could even post a picture of every food item on the table and give you it's cheesy nick-name. But maybe I shouldn't try to do this again when a) I'm pregnant, b) Ry is on night shifts, and c) I'm unforeseeably emotional due to reason a and lack of sleep. 

That being said, I love trying to have fun with the little details. Like the marshmallow-turned-octupus treats, the life-preserver donuts, the crab leg carrot sticks, the photos of Lady-LE all over, and the seaweed crepe paper, and even the stupid salt-dough star fish that I made a week in advance that we didn't end up using because they kept breaking and I was emotionally unstable about mishaps (see reasons a and c above). Sheesh I tell ya. I should know my limitations next time!

But even with those downsides, and with the on-and-off rain we had which kept the majority of people inside, I still loved it and am grateful we did it all. Lady-LE loved watching me make the designs on the computer and would always be so excited when I was "working on my birthday party!" as she would say. 

 We all ate lunch, and tried to play outside for a little bit before the weather made us go back in. 

 And while it would have been way more comfortable and cute to have stations of activities outside, we were still able to pull off the hand-print crabs inside and help me feel like my efforts weren't completely in vain. :)

 It was mostly Lady-LE's preschool group of friends with a few extra plus siblings. And I did have a package of ocean-theme play dough toys for the kids to play with as a back-up plan for the rain. So while it was a little chaotic, they all loved it. 

 Cheesy grin. This girl was SO happy the entire time she would only give me these spastic super-huge smiles. The anticipation of this party about killed her, and she loves crowds and friends so she was in heaven when the time finally came!

 Daddy bringing out the birthday cake! Those are little sand dollar candy molds ... although you can't really tell. 

 When the time came for singing and candles Lady-LE went crazy! Jumping up and down, yelling "I'm the birthday girl! I'm the birthday girl!" and just being so crazy happy! Holy moly she was making me laugh. 

 I love my family ...

 See? Same cheesy smile because everything was so exciting to her! She was literally bursting with happiness! 

She had already snuck one of these adorable fish cupcakes my neighbor helped me with, and was on her second when she was caught! :)

 Opening presents was super fun, loud, and exciting all over again for this little miss. 

Happy Birthday sweet Lady-LE! We sure love you!

lady-le turns three!

This sweet little gal turned three this past summer in July, and I need to do a little shout out for what she brings into our family. She is full of energy, and is just as much a strong personality as L-man is. I feel like at age three I am still getting to know her, and learning more and more about her personality as she gets older. She is a riot and a blessing all at the same time! Specific highlights include:

-she wears her heart on her sleeve. If she is sad, happy, shy, goofy, mad, frustrated, hurt, anything - she'll let you know. And it will be obvious. 

-while she can and will use a loud voice when needed, her most frequent volume of sound is still quiet. In a crowd of people you still need to ask her to repeat herself. But when she feels the need to be heard (specifically when her brother takes a toy or she feels she has been wronged in some way) she will be loud and it will come out quiet harshly.

-potty training has been a constant battle for months now! She totally gets it, but simply chooses not to pay attention. And especially with summer irregularity in schedule it has been rough. Struggle after struggle. She is completely capable, we just can't seem to find her motivation for independence. One thing will work for a few days, and then she'll stop caring. Then we repeat the accidents and frustration cycle all over again. I am really hoping that preschool and routines in the fall will help change this. 

-she loves to "be sneaky" and she'll put her fingers up by her face as she tells you what she's going to sneak. For example, I'll tell her no more snacks until dinner time. Her response will be to raise her fingers and twiddle them right next to her cheeks and eyes as she says, "I'm going to go sneak some goldfish!" 

-speaking of food, this girl loves to eat. all. the. time. not so much in the meal form, but she would munch and snack all day long if we let her. She's typically very open to trying new foods, especially if she can just have a bite of whatever I'm eating. And she definitely has a sweet-tooth. 

-favorite game is playing hide-and-go-seek. And she laughs ridiculously loud when we pretend not to see her. 

-favorite toys include anything Minnie Mouse related, doll-house type toys, my little ponies, and any kind of animal. She has willingly stepped into L-man's world of animals and loves to play with him. Although her play is more along the lines of gathering families together rather than battling and chasing prey. :)

-continues to have a super long attention span for reading books! Right now we are going through a Franklin and friends phase.

-I don't have a lot of comparison, but at least to me she seems to be purely gifted when it comes to puzzles. She seems to simply be a visual person who can see how the pieces fit together before I even need to guide her. She LOVES puzzles! 

-crazy excited for preschool this fall. Doesn't seem worried or nervous at all. She has loved watching L-man go to this preschool, and she already knows many of the teachers there so she feels very comfortable. And since I'm writing this in late August, we've already had our little open house at her school. She walked into the classroom with me, quickly glanced my direction and said, "Okay! I'll miss you Mom, goodbye!" and immediately went straight to the My Little Pony toys. Didn't even turn around.

-loves to pretend that Daddy's a monster, and begs him over and over to "tickle me again, Daddy!"

-is a fiercely loyal momma's girl though. This has been both a blessing and a curse, and we are constantly teaching her that mommy and daddy are a team and work together to help her. She often only wants me to help, comfort, hold, teach, and reprimand. But she is always super excited to tell Daddy good news!

-loves to ride her tricycle in the driveway with the big boys on their bikes

-swimming at the pool has definitely become a favorite this summer. She had her first round of swim lessons that started on her birthday. Sadly she cried for almost the entire half hour! But by the end of the two weeks she was a champ and loved them. After her lessons were over I finally pulled out one of those puddle jumper floaties I got on clearance last year and man alive she is a changed kid in the water. Blowing bubbles, getting her face wet, she is crazy for it! Super fun to watch her be so proud of herself.

-Lady-LE can switch from being the sweetest little girl to having the most attitude ever in a matter of seconds. We have some severe good and bad days around here, and sadly my patience is not what it usually is these days! Power struggles are quite normal, and she can be outright defiant of you all day long if she wants. Very strong willed! 

-absolutely LOVES her brother. They honestly play so well together and I am grateful for that! 

We love her dearly and can't imagine our lives without her! 

summertime memories

June and early July blend into each other in both moments and photos. We spent the mornings at the pool for swim lessons and playtime, ate a lunch there, came home for naps/quiet time, then spent the afternoons and evenings doing whatever we pleased. Some days were nice enough to play outside, other days were just too hot and we stayed inside. But it was a good summer!

 L-man has been really into playing baseball in the backyard this summer, and it is WAY more fun to play when Daddy's home. I guess he just creates more energy than I do, and L-man loves it. 

A neighbor came over to play with us one night, and it was so fun to have the kids run the bases made out of frisbees and to try to teach the basics of the game to a three-year-old. L-man has really good hand-eye coordination and really enjoys it most when we pitch it to him. Lady-LE just ran around and practiced throwing overhand (and looking cute in neighbor-friend's batting helmet). 

See? Daddy just makes everything more fun. :)

 At one point Ry had a few days off, and we were determined to actually make memories instead of just letting the hours pass by. In all reality, it's easy for us to just "hang out" and not make much of his time off because we're all just so tired. But Ryan was insistent that he wanted our family to not shy away from adventures because of a little rain, so away we went for a good family hike! 

The pictures do not do it justice. It's a decent sized hike for little kiddos, and almost immediately after we started the trail rain came pouring down. We were DRENCHED. Lady-LE refused to wear her raincoat after a while, because it was just so stinkin' hot and poor girl was sweating inside her plastic covering. But once we got to the top of the mountain where the wind was howling and the rain was coming in sideways and much colder we forced it back on her. 

 We've had gorgeous views off this mountain before - but this time we were hiking above the clouds. When we reached the top, and Ry and I are trying our hardest to make this whole experience seem really awesome to the kids, L-man yells his excitement about it all and says, "this is the coolest hike ever!" YES! Mission accomplished. :) We were all sorts of soaked-through, hot from the humidity, cold from the rain, and worn out from the countless steps; but we did it! We defied the elements and had a fantastic walk with our kids who actually believed that what we did was "cool." It was a good moment. :) 

 The city sponsors a kids-bowl-free deal during the summer ... which is great, until you have to pay for shoes and the adult games and then it still turns into an expensive family date. Oh well! We had a great time! :)

Ryan and I even got a date night and went to the city's minor-league baseball game. We eventually got rained out and they went through the process of covering the field and uncovering, and still getting rained on. But it was great and next time we'll definitely take the kiddos!

 Our neighborhood holds a 4th of July Kids' Parade, and we were sure to participate!

 The parade is led by a fire truck, and closed in the rear by a couple police cars. Super fun for kiddos!

 Nothing like homemade decorations! Happy birthday good ol' USA!

 The kids all get popsicles afterwards, which was again a major hit. It was super hot and super sunny!

We also got to hang our flag up for the first time! Hooray! 

After Ry went to work the kids and I went over to a good friends' house for a little bbq celebration. It is so fun to be with friends and enjoy the company of others! I snagged this picture from her blog. The food was amazing (as it seriously always is from this family!), and the kids loved running around with friends and playing with sparklers. It was a great holiday!

girls in chicago

Back in June, my youngest sister graduated high school!! Hooray!

So to celebrate and congratulate her, my dad coordinated the first sisters trip - I say "first" because it's definitely not the last!

My wonderful in-laws watched my kiddos so I could go. They were so generous to do so, with their own crazy work and family schedules. I cannot say thank you enough for all of their help! So I said goodbye to the kids in CO and was Chicago bound!

 We all congregated in Chicago, where M&E live. They were SO nice to open up their home to us and make room for all of us and our stuff. They were fantastic hosts who showed us all around their city and were patient, generous, and entertaining! It may seem really simple and silly, but that homemade hot chocolate they shared with us was the best I've ever had. :) 

 We definitely got to experience some cool weather in the Windy City! M&E live within walking distance to this beautiful park right on the lake - how awesome!

 Lilacs were in FULL bloom when we were there. Oh my word, I could just drink in that smell! 

That's the new graduate on the left, and the newest sister to the family on the right! 

We did a really neat architecture tour of the city through a river boat. Learned a ton, and get to see some really cool sites of the city from the water! Definitely recommend this.

 The next day we shifted schedules around a little bit and did some exploring by foot of different parts of town. Included a little bit of shopping and eating at fun places, and we ended the day by going to a Cubs game at Wrigley Field!

 Sweet baby M was adored and loved by all - lucky girl that she was allowed to join us! :) She was such a champ through all the crazy schedules, an amazing baby!!

Awesome setting! 

 When we first got to the stadium there was a little ::ahem:: episode with gnats being attracted to my shirt. Seriously they would surround me wherever I went. Thankfully we had also done some shopping that day and someone had a new shirt in their bag that I was able to throw on top. Such a weird phenomenon! At one point I got to chat with my kids on the phone, and after the phone call I enjoyed watching a beautiful sunset from behind the stadium. 

A trip to Chicago would not be complete without visiting the Fish Bar! It's an awesome seafood restaurant that my sister works at and will soon become the manager at. 

Such a fun place - and they gave us the red-carpet treatment! M knew exactly what to order all of us, and got us an assortment of amazingly delicious plates. 

 We ate inside because it was a bit muggy outside, but their patio was so cute. :)

 And of course we made time to adore the baby. :)

 And yes, we all even tried the octopus! Even K, who was very hesitant at first. Check that one off the bucket list, right K?

Wow that food was really good!

 Finally we hit up the Art Institute which was a must for the creative-minded ones in the family (which definitely does not include me, but I was happy to enjoy the ride with those who know more and can appreciate it to a much higher degree). 

I loved reading all the plaques that gave more information about the artist or particular painting. This quote spoke to me - Monet being so obsessed with his work that although he knew his abilities were limited to capture it in the truest sense he had to continue trying. Continually hoping that "something will emerge" that will not render all his effort in vain. Made me contemplate motherhood and the endless attempts I make at hoping to make a difference, knowing full well that I am an imperfect person who cannot do the responsibility justice. And yet I can only continue trying to accomplish the tasks given me, and hope that someday "something will emerge" that will deem my attempt worthy of its purpose. 

I know I'm mixing up days the order of it all, but we also had fun eating at new little restaurants wherever we wanted. Oh the luxury of being able to just wing it and figure it out as you go! No need to plan ahead for naps or worry about meal times ... well, we did have to keep food a priority to some degree with two pregnant and one nursing mommas! But there was definitely a sense of freedom that was refreshing!

We enjoyed a fun music in the park deal right in the heart of the city, and of course took goofy pictures around "the bean" that is so iconic to the Windy City. For some reason I feel like I am missing a ton of pictures! We became well accustomed to multiple modes of transportation, from getting the private SUV kind of taxis so we could all ride together, to the bus, to walking, and to riding the rail. So grateful that M&E knew their way around! And we even threw a little surprise gift-giving shower for the recent graduate to celebrate her going off to college and living on her own. Hopefully we all gave her some goodies that will be useful in the next phase of life! So proud of her and grateful that we could all get together to shower her with love. 

It was definitely a short trip, but a perfect chance to be all together with these beautiful women and feel of their goodness. What an amazing family I belong to! Thank you M&E for opening up your home and helping us explore Chicago with you!

And thank you to my wonderful in-laws for watching my two little ones. I knew they were in good hands the entire time and didn't worry about them at all. Of course I missed them like crazy ... sometimes it's so easy to allow myself to blend my identity into the sole role of mothering. This was such a refreshing trip to feel rejuvenated for that parenting job and feel excitement about the upcoming summer days to spend together. Thankfully the timing all worked out to meet G&C at the Denver airport, and then to fly straight home with my kids. It melted my heart to see how excited they were to see me, and I loved wrapping my arms around them! Wonderful, wonderful time.